Women's Basketball | 10/30/2018 10:01:00 PM

Box Score     MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Liberty University women's basketball battled NCAA Division I West Virginia on even terms for much of the first half here Tuesday night but the deep and talented Mountaineers pulled away in the second half to claim an 88-53 win in an exhibition game at the WVU Coliseum.
    Lady Hilltopper head coach, who spent four years working with head coach Mike Carey and the West Virginia women's program, liked the way his squad competed on the big stage.
    "Coach Carey has an outstanding program with some very talented young ladies," Cooper said, "but I'm extremely proud of the way our kids fought for the entire 40 minutes. The thing I liked best about tonight is the way the girls played for each other and not just themselves."
    The teams traded leads through the first few minutes but a 3-point play by West Virginia's Naomi Davenport capped a 7-0 run and put the hosts up, 21-12, at 3:11 of the opening quarter.
    Hilltopper senior Brandi Beader answered with a quick 3-pointer, sparking an answering surge by the Black and Gold. Back-to-back bonus bombs by Beader and Youngstown State transfer Morgan Brunner sent West Liberty into the second quarter trailing just 22-21.
    All-America center Marissa Brown powered to the basket to put the Hilltoppers up, 23-22, with 9:17 on the second quarter clock and the teams traded baskets for several possessions.
    A short jumper by Belmont Abbey (N.C.) transfer Taylor Johnson forced what proved to be the final tie of the game, 30-30, with 5:05 left before intermission.
    The Mountaineers scored the next eight points as part of a 12-2 run that put them up 42-32 at the half. West Liberty was unable to get the margin back into single digits the rest of the night.
    "We had some moments tonight when we showed the potential to be truly special, especially in the first half," Cooper said. "I'm very encouraged by what I saw tonight and really excited about heading into the season with this group."
    Sophomore guard Olivia Belknap led West Liberty with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor - including a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc - while Beader added 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers.
    Brown battled foul trouble throughout to finish with 8 points and 4 rebounds while Johnson fought through a tough shooting night to match Brown's 8 points while dishing out a game-high 5 assists.
    Davenport led four double-figure scorers for WVU with 18 points. Tynice Martin added 15 points, Ksyre Gondrezick and Theresa Ekhelar chipped in with a dozen each and Kari Niblack just missed a double-double with 9 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
    The Hilltoppers shot 37 percent (19-of-52) from the floor and 38 percent (9-of-24) from the 3-point arc compared to 58 percent (36-of-62) from the floor and 25 percent (2-of-8) from the 3-point arc for the Mountaineers. West Virginia had a 41-24 rebounding advantage and forced 29 turnovers while committing 20 themselves as both teams shook off some off-season rust.
    The West Liberty women tip off the regular season on Nov. 10 with a 5 p.m. game at California (Pa.).